Written Answers

Monday 9 October 2000

Scottish Executive

Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Food Standards Agency has provided any examples of processing companies who were ordered to recall scallops which were tested following processing.

Susan Deacon: There have been no recalls of scallops by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) due to samples failing end-product testing. In the event that a commercially processed product fails end-product testing, it is the responsibility of the producer to ensure that products which could pose a danger to public health are not placed on the market. The FSA are not informed of the results.

Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether end-producer testing will be introduced as the sole precondition for allowing scallops to enter the market.

Susan Deacon: There are no plans to introduce end-product testing as the sole precondition for allowing scallops to enter the market.

Cancer

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to raise awareness of bowel cancer and, in particular, the importance of diet and aspirin in reducing the risk of the disease.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is determined to address the challenges presented by cancer in all forms. We have pledged to tackle the root causes of ill health and will work over the next 10 years to promote healthier living and reduce mortality from cancer by 20% in the under 75’s.

  Targeted health promotion programmes and a pilot colorectal cancer screening programme are already underway.

  The Health Education Board for Scotland "Big 3" campaign has been successful in raising adults’ awareness of the small changes to lifestyle (including diet) that can be easily achieved to help prevent cancer occurring.

  The place of aspirin in prevention of bowel cancer is still being evaluated.

Dental Care

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many paediatric dentists are available within each health board.

Susan Deacon: The number of consultants in paediatric dentistry employed in the NHS in Scotland is shown in the following table. The information supplied is the latest available and should be read in conjunction with the notes below.

  It is estimated that these consultants treat between 5,000 to 7,000 patients annually, offering advanced dental treatment to patients with severe illnesses or associated difficulties. This service is supplied by the six consultants and their associated support staff.

  The majority of children are, however, treated by general dental practitioners or community dental officers. It is estimated that each year around 724,000 children receive their dental treatment from General Dental Practitioners and 120,000 are treated by community dental officers.

  Paediatric specialist practitioners also offer dental services to children with some minor medical, physical or other associated problems. This is a new, developing group situated within either general or community dental practices, and it is currently estimated that approximately 20,000 to 30,000 children receive treatment from paediatric specialist practitioners per annum.

  Consultants in Paediatric Dentistry in the NHS in Scotland

  





Headcount




Scotland


6




Greater Glasgow


4




Lothian


1




Tayside


1




  Source: Medical and Dental Manpower Census, ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Information is as at 30 September 1999.

  2. Includes honorary appointments.

Dental Care

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have sought emergency dental treatment from (a) general medical practitioners in Aberdeen, (b) the accident and emergency department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and (c) G-DOCS out of hours general medical practice service in each of the last three years.

Susan Deacon: Information is not recorded on the number of patients who have sought emergency dental treatment from general medical practitioners in Aberdeen and G-DOCS out of hours general medical practice service.

  Mr Macdonald may wish to contact Mr Alec Cumming, Chief Executive of Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust, at Foresterhill House, Ashgrove Road West, Aberdeen about the number of patients who have sought emergency dental treatment from the accident and emergency department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in the last three years, since this information is not available centrally.

Dental Care

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students have completed training as dental practitioners at each dental school in the last three years.

Susan Deacon: The number of students in each dental school who have completed training is shown in the following table. The information is the latest available.

  


Year


Dundee


Glasgow


Total




1997


47


75


122




1998


42


67


109




1999


60


65


125

Dental Care

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vocational training places have been filled by trainee dentists in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Grampian in each of the last three years and how many places are currently available.

Susan Deacon: The number of Dental Vocational Trainees in post for last three years in North East of Scotland is shown in the following table.

  


Year


Number




1997-98


12




1998-99


9




1999-2000


10




  There are 10 places currently available for dental graduates in the North East of Scotland per annum. Practitioners also have access to 10 additional places which are made available to dentists in Scotland who are geographically distant from the Dental Schools.

  The latest information available for the year beginning August 2000 indicates eight of 10 places have been filled.

Dental Care

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many salaried dentists are currently practising, broken down by health board.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is shown in the table below.

  


Number of Salaried Dentists in Scotland 
Broken Down by Health Board Area at 30 June 2000




Health Board


Number of Salaried 
Dentists




Argyll & Clyde


4




Ayrshire & Arran


4




Borders


0




Dumfries & Galloway


0




Fife


0




Forth Valley


1




Grampian


2




Greater Glasgow


0




Highland


14




Lanarkshire


0




Lothian


13




Orkney


2




Shetland


2




Tayside


0




Western Isles


0




Total


42

Dental Care

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current salary range is for salaried dentists.

Susan Deacon: The current salary scale for salaried dentists is set out in the table below.

  


Salary Scale for Salaried Dentists 
as at 1 April 2000




£24,215 (minimum point)




£26,415 (2nd point)




£28,615 (3rd point)




£30,815 (4th point)




£33,015 (5th point)




£35,215 (maximum point)




£37,415 (discretionary point)




£39,615 (discretionary point)




  Source: Statement of Dental Remuneration.

Dental Care

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists provide NHS treatment to (a) children and others entitled to free dental care and (b) those not entitled to free dental care.

Susan Deacon: All general dental practitioners on family health service lists in Scotland provide NHS treatment to (a) children and others entitled to free dental care and (b) those not entitled to free dental care. All community and hospital service dentists provide NHS treatment to these categories of patient.

Dental Care

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS dentists are currently practising in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Grampian and (c) Scotland and what level of service this represents per thousand of resident population.

Susan Deacon: Data relating to dentists practising in the Aberdeen area are not available centrally. The available data on the provision of NHS general dental services are shown in the table below.

  


Number of Dentists Providing NHS 
General Dental Services at 31 March 2000




Area


Number1


Rate Per 1,0002 
Population




Grampian


164


0.31




Scotland


1,874


0.37




  Source: Information & Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency of the National Health Service in Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. In addition to GDS dentists, a number of dentists work in hospitals or in the community dental service.

  2. Rates are calculated using population estimates as at June 1999.

Dog Identification Working Group

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it has had into the report of the Dog Identification Working Group set up by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Mr Frank McAveety: None. The issues covered by the Dog Identification Working Group are devolved to the Scottish Parliament but we had observer status on the group.

Dog Identification Working Group

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received a copy of the report of the Dog Identification Working Group and, if so, what action it plans to take in the light of the report and what consultations it intends to hold prior to taking any such action.

Mr Frank McAveety: I have received a copy of the Dog Identification Working Group’s report and am currently considering the implications for Scotland. Any proposals for change will be subject to public consultation.

Environment

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to investigate British Nuclear Fuels Ltd’s role in the decommissioning of the Magnox nuclear power station at Hunterston.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it, or any agency within its control, has made representations to British Nuclear Fuels Ltd concerning British Nuclear Fuels Ltd’s role in the decommissioning of the Magnox nuclear power station at Hunterston.

Sarah Boyack: Under the terms of the nuclear site licence issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) the licensee, British Nuclear Fuels plc, will be required to put in place a plan for decommissioning the Magnox nuclear power station at Hunterston. British Nuclear Fuels plc will also be required to make an assessment of the environmental effects of their proposed decommissioning plan, to consult the public, and to have consent from the HSE. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and local authorities will be consulted by the HSE in that process.

Environment

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it, or any agency within its control, has made representations to Her Majesty’s Government concerning the proposal to ship 500 kilograms of plutonium from Dounreay to the United States of America.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to investigate the proposal to ship 500 kilograms of plutonium from Dounreay to the United States of America.

Sarah Boyack: I understand from the Department of Trade and Industry that there are no plans to undertake such a shipment from Dounreay to the United States.

  Responsibility for the regulation of storage and handling of all nuclear fuel held at Dounreay rests with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). I understand that HSE’s Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) is aware of plans to return the fuel in question to its owners in Germany. Safety documentation to allow the transfer of the fuel from a dedicated store into transport flasks is being prepared by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and will be submitted to NII in due course.

  The fuel transport flasks to be used for moving the fuel from Dounreay to Germany will require certification by the UK and German authorities. The Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions (DETR) is the authorising body in the UK for nuclear fuel transport.

Exam Results

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations were made by officials to Ministers regarding this year’s exam results, whether any of these were (a) rejected outright, (b) not acted upon within one month of the date of the recommendation and (c) subject to deferred action, and whether it will place a copy of all relevant documents in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Mr Sam Galbraith: It is not the practice of the Scottish Executive to make available advice from officials to Ministers.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cash allocation to Scotland was through the Barnett formula in each year since its inception, in cash and real terms, with the corresponding multiplier that was used in each year.

Mr Jack McConnell: Information is not held in a way which would allow Barnett changes to be disaggregated from other changes, such as transfers to and from Scotland’s Budget. The total net effect of these changes, however, can be tracked through comparisons of the revised plans figures published in the Executive’s Annual Expenditure Report Investing in You and its predecessor, the Departmental Report Serving Scotland’s Needs which was published annually over a number of years.

  Under the formula Scotland receives a population share of changes in comparable UK programmes. When the formula was first used for Scotland in the 1978 public expenditure survey the population share was fixed at 10/85ths, or 11.76%. It was revised to reflect changes in population to 10.66% in 1992, 10.45% in 1996, and currently stands at 10.34% for 1999. In addition there is a comparability factor for each programme. They are set out in Annex C of the Statement of Funding Policy which is available on HM Treasury’s website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/news.html.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what capital expenditure in the public sector was in the last financial year, broken down by category of expenditure and specifying for each category the source of funding.

Mr Jack McConnell: The table below sets out capital expenditure in the public sector for financial year 1999-2000, broken down by category of expenditure and source of funding:

  


Category of Expenditure


Amount
(£ million)


Source of Funding




Purchase/Sale of Buildings


-15.6


Central Government




Formation of Tangible Asset


220.4


Central Government




Change in Levels of Stock


6.5


Central Government




Capital Grants to Private Sector 
and non-profit making bodies


171.0


Central Government




Capital Grants to Public Corporations 
(including Nationalised Industries)


382.7


Central Government




Net Lending to Private sector


0.1


Central Government




Net Lending to Public Corporations


232.9


Central Government




Bank and National Loans Funds Deposits 
by Public Corporations (including Nationalised Industries)


-19.6


Central Government




Capital Grants to Local Authorities


12.6


Central Government




Capital Grants from European Communities 
to Local Authorities


26.0


Transfer from Central 
Government




Credit Approvals to Local Authorities


476.9


Transfer from Central 
Government




Total


1,493.8







  In addition to these amounts the Scottish Executive expects capital investment levered in through Public/Private Partnerships and the Private Finance Initiative to have been £472 million in 1999-2000.

Football

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations and individuals it invited to submit views on supporter involvement in football after the publication of New Mutualism – A Golden Goal and whether copies of responses received have been or will be made available to MSPs.

Rhona Brankin: We invited views from the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Premier League, the Scottish Football League, the Scottish Professional Footballers Association and the Scottish Federation of Football Supporters.

  Copies of responses are not being made public by the Scottish Executive because our approach to these bodies was made on an informal basis and they were not advised that this would be done. It is, of course, open to you to approach the organisations concerned direct to seek their views on supporter involvement in football.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making from the "experimental and ad-hoc application of telemedicine" as outlined in its document 1999 Health in Scotland towards a more coherent use of this technology to support improved health care delivery.

Susan Deacon: Telemedicine remains a rapidly developing field with great potential to improve access to high quality care irrespective of distance. The Scottish Executive is investing £5 million to promote telemedicine schemes across Scotland and has established a Scottish Telemedicine Action Forum to co-ordinate this work. Evaluation of these projects will provide evidence about which telemedicine applications are sufficiently effective, efficient and robust to deserve wider implementation.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the NHS to ensure that medical records maintained by the NHS are complete and that diagnostic criteria are standardised throughout Scotland.

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to liaise with private medical facilities in order to establish a central medical record of diagnosis and treatments in the private sector.

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to liaise with the NHS and private medical facilities in order to establish a single central medical register of diagnosis and treatments.

Susan Deacon: The principal data on secondary-sector healthcare in Scotland come from the Scottish Morbidity Records (SMR), individual patient-based episode records prepared in hospitals. Diagnostic information in these records is recorded using the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Treatment information is recorded using the 4th revision of the Office of Populations Censuses and Surveys’ Classification of Surgical Operations & Procedures. This information is validated and submitted to the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of the Common Services Agency. Management Executive Letter (1995) 36 requires that SMR returns should also be submitted for NHS patients treated in the independent sector.

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being put in place to reduce bed blocking in the NHS in Grampian and to increase the number of long-term care beds available and what plans it has to ensure the provision of services this winter in NHS hospitals in Grampian.

Susan Deacon: Ministers have already acted to safeguard NHS services this winter. £10 million has been made available to local authorities primarily to tackle problems arising from delays in discharging patients and a further £60 million has gone to the NHS mainly to target waiting lists and times, winter peaks and discharging delays. The detailed measures taken in Grampian are a matter for the health board and Trusts but I expect NHS planning for this winter to take into account the sound, practical recommendations of the Winter Performance Group to improve services. To ensure effective implementation, this planning should be undertaken jointly with Social Work Departments, Local Health Care Co-operatives and relevant voluntary bodies.

Higher Still

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all the material required for the 2000-01 Higher Still courses has been made available to schools from the Higher Still Development Unit.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I refer David Mundell to the answers I gave to question S1W-9243 on 7 September and question S1W-9510 on 21 September.

Higher Still

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all materials required for the 2000-01 Advanced Highers have been made available to schools.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I refer David Mundell to the answers I gave to question S1W-9243 on 7 September and question S1W-9510 on 21 September.

Justice

Ms Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it proposes to consult on the future uses of electronic monitoring in the criminal justice system.

Mr Jim Wallace: The consultation document Tagging Offenders: the Role of Electronic Monitoring in the Scottish Criminal Justice System will be published on 9 October. A copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre and additional copies will be made available in the Document Supply Centre.

Medical Research

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been carried out in Scotland, or whether it has any plans to conduct such research, into the current health of polio survivors from the epidemic in the 1950s.

Susan Deacon: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of the Scottish Executive Health Department is not funding any research on this subject at present, but would be prepared to consider soundly-based proposals for such research.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health intends to respond to my letter of 15 March 2000 on behalf of my constituent Dr Graham Kramer.

Susan Deacon: I responded to your letter on 25 September 2000.

NHS Staff

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8859 by Susan Deacon on 13 September 2000, what the projected figure is for the number of geriatricians at 30 September 2000 and what the projected requirement is for 2000-01.

Susan Deacon: Information on all medical grades working in the specialties of geriatrics and old age psychiatry as at 30 September 1999, which is the latest available, are shown in Table 1 below.

  Details on projected requirements for staff other than at consultant grade is not held by the Executive and is a matter for individual boards and Trusts. The number of new consultants required to cover expected retirals and developments within the service for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are shown in Table 2. This however should be taken as an indicator only, as the exact number of new consultants needed to deliver services cannot be predicted with accuracy because it is affected by individual decisions to retire.

  The number of trainees who will become fully trained and will be awarded a Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) for the years in question is given in Table 2, Annex B of NHS MEL (2000) 24, published on 28 April 2000. A copy of this is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 7379).

  Table 1 – Staff working in Geriatrics and Old Age Psychiatry employed in the NHS in Scotland by Grade

  





Geriatrics


Old Age Psychiatry




Total


415


123




Consultant


93


43




Associate specialist


2


2




Staff


17


8




Specialist registrar


28


15




Senior registrar


2


1




Senior house officer


127


21




House officer


12


- 




Hospital practitioner


12


9




GMP (Para. 94)


123


24




  Source: Medical and Dental Manpower Census, ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Figures shown are Headcount at 30 September 1999.

  2. Includes honorary appointments.

  Table 2 – New Consultant Requirements in Geriatrics and Old Age Psychiatry in the NHS in Scotland

  





1999-2000


2000-01




Geriatrics


1


1




Old Age Psychiatry


7


2




  Notes:

  1. Information supplied by individual health boards.

  2. Figures shown are the number of retirements and the number of newly created posts expected from service developments outlined in individual Health Improvement Programmes and Trust Implementation Plans.

  3. Funding for all new posts is a matter for health boards.

NHS Waiting Times

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce hospital waiting lists.

Susan Deacon: Reducing waiting is one of the Executive’s most important objectives for the health service in Scotland. Action to reduce hospital waiting lists is primarily for health boards and NHS Trusts, and health boards have agreed waiting list targets to be achieved by March 2002. The Executive has put substantial extra investment into the NHS in Scotland, including targeted investment to help reduce waiting, and this will be coupled with new ways of working and delivering services to achieve sustained improvements.

National Cultural Strategy

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its National Cultural Strategy, what its policy is regarding painting and sculpture.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive wishes to see the visual arts flourish in Scotland. Creating Our Future: Minding Our Past , the National Cultural Strategy, seeks to create a climate supportive to artists and to promote public interest in and access to painting and sculpture.

National Cultural Strategy

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its Natural Cultural Strategy, what its policy is regarding community arts.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive believes that culture and the arts can make a significant contribution to encouraging and building active communities. Creating Our Future: Minding Our Past , the National Cultural Strategy places a particular emphasis upon the need to maximise the social benefits of culture to communities.

National Cultural Strategy

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans, in addition to the "national audit of collections" mentioned in the National Cultural Strategy document, it has to help industrial heritage museums to remain open and develop.

Rhona Brankin: The national audit of museum and gallery collections will enable us to develop criteria for a restructuring of the sector with the aim of establishing a sustainable funding framework for the future. The industrial museums will be given priority in this process. We have announced funding of £250,000 this year and £3 million over the next three years for these purposes.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the powers of direction granted by (a) section 11 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 and (b) section 9 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1996 have been exercised.

Sarah Boyack: The powers of direction granted by section 11 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 and section 9 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 have never been used.

Nursing

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for qualified students to enter a course leading to a qualification in nursing.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for qualified students to enter a course leading to a qualification in nursing broken down by health board area.

Susan Deacon: There is no such measure. Each individual case will vary and will depend on a number of factors such as date of application compared to the course dates at the chosen institution, the student’s choice of institution, the branch of nursing that is selected and, indeed, the individual’s personal circumstances and choices.

Nursing

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many places in nursing training are available in Lanarkshire, and how long qualified students have to wait to secure a place.

Susan Deacon: In the current year, there are 310 places on initial nursing and midwifery training courses at Bell College. 230 of these will be based in Lanarkshire.

  There is no such measure for waiting times.

Nursing

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the numbers are of (a) community psychiatric nurses; (b) district nurses, and (c) health visitors in each health board area, what the numbers were in each of the past five years and whether it plans to increase these numbers.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is committed to the promotion of better health and to reducing the need for hospital admissions. To support this we have recently announced funding for the current year onwards for the salary and training for 210 additional specialist nursing posts, including 50 district nursing posts and 50 community psychiatric nursing posts.

  The tables below show the information available centrally on numbers of (a) community psychiatric nurses – Table 1, (b) district nurses – Table 2, and (c) health visitors – Table 3.

  Table 1

  Community Psychiatric Nurses employed in the NHS in Scotland by Health Board

  Headcount: at 30 September

  

 

1995


1996


1997


1998


1999p




Scotland


439


468


507


523


624




Argyll and Clyde


35


28


53


58


60




Ayrshire and Arran


58


71


77


88


103




Borders


13


17


16


14


17




Dumfries and Galloway


31


31


36


32


37




Fife


33


33


22


21


29




Forth Valley


31


33


39


45


53




Grampian


44


52


58


57


61




Greater Glasgow


36


35


34


31


33




Highland


30


40


40


41


47




Lanarkshire


29


27


27


25


80




Lothian


50


51


42


45


42




Orkney


-


1


1


1


1




Shetland


3


3


3


4


5




Tayside


40


40


52


55


51




Western Isles


6


6


7


6


5




  Source: National Manpower Statistics from payroll. ISD Scotland.

  pprovisional

  Notes:

  1. This category is incompletely recorded.

  Table 2

  District Nurses Employed in the NHS in Scotland by Health Board

  Headcount: at 30 September

  





1995


1996


1997


1998


1999p




Scotland


2,174


2,242


2,271


2,321


2,457




Argyll and Clyde


198


209


208


205


211




Ayrshire and Arran


184


177


180


189


196




Borders


12


13


11


10


12




Dumfries and Galloway


65


66


64


72


84




Fife


150


156


118


128


178




Forth Valley


138


147


157


159


176




Grampian


193


228


227


216


211




Greater Glasgow


437


426


436


433


432




Highland


73


73


73


87


85




Lanarkshire


179


177


174


167


213




Lothian


336


352


367


378


393




Orkney


21


18


19


19


18




Shetland


10


8


9


12


11




Tayside


177


191


227


246


237




CSA


1


1


1

 

-




  Source: National Manpower Statistics from payroll. ISD Scotland.

  p provisional

  Table 3

  Health Visitors employed in the NHS in Scotland

  Headcount: at 30 September

  

 

1995


1996


1997


1998


1999p




Scotland


1,604


1,605


1,648


1,680


1,698




Argyll and Clyde


136


135


131


136


128




Ayrshire and Arran


101


102


104


107


108




Borders


25


25


24


24


23




Dumfries and Galloway


34


36


39


42


36




Fife


121


121


104


105


130




Forth Valley


86


89


89


91


95




Grampian


218


204


212


204


205




Greater Glasgow


287


289


314


313


312




Highland


54


52


49


57


58




Lanarkshire


166


171


178


185


201




Lothian


232


230


231


239


240




Orkney


5


4


4


5


5




Shetland


7


6


5


5


5




Tayside


124


132


151


155


137




CSA


8


9


13


12


15




  Source: National Manpower Statistics from payroll. ISD Scotland.

  p provisional

Planning

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to amend the procedures for public inquiries into planning applications in the light of the European Convention on Human Rights and what changes it proposes to allow a third party right of appeal against contentious planning decisions which do not take sufficient account of health and safety issues.

Sarah Boyack: None.

Rail Network

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of any cost impact on industry and on plans to put more commercial freight on rail of the decision by Railtrack to increase rail freight charges.

Sarah Boyack: The regulation of track access charges is a reserved matter. In July, the Rail Regulator published the draft conclusions of his periodic review of Track Access Charges. Until he announces his final decisions, Railtrack cannot change its present track access charges to freight and passenger rail companies. Rail freight charges to customers are a commercial matter for the rail freight companies.

  The Executive is committed to transferring freight from roads to rail and inland waterways. We are on track to achieve our target of transferring 15 million lorry miles a year by March 2002.

Rail Network

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the Larkhall to Milngavie rail link.

Sarah Boyack: The Larkhall to Milngavie rail route project is the responsibility of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority as the public passenger transport body for the area. The Scottish Executive has still to receive the authority’s Full Business Case for the project and until this information is received and analysed Scottish Ministers will not be in a position to reach a view about the project’s value for money.

Rail Network

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact changes in the level of charges on rail freight services have had on the distribution of fuel and other goods in recent months.

Sarah Boyack: Fuel movement by rail is very limited. In relation to other goods, businesses will need to make their assessment of costs and take commercial decisions accordingly.

Rape

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases of alleged rape, in each of the last 10 years, in which a verdict of not guilty was returned were investigations subsequently made into whether the allegations had been made falsely and what percentage of cases in which not guilty verdicts were returned this number represents for each year.

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases of alleged rape, in each of the last 10 years, in which a verdict of not guilty was returned and in which investigations were subsequently conducted into whether the allegations had been made, were the original complainants charged in relation to the making of false allegations; what percentage of these cases this number represents for each year, and what offences any such persons were charged with.

Mr Jim Wallace: This information is not available.

Roads

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9398 by Sarah Boyack on 13 September 2000, when the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland will publish the results of their consultation exercise on the condition of local roads.

Sarah Boyack: This is entirely a matter for the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek to invoke the exceptions under the Freedom of Information Code of Conduct to withhold from the Education, Culture and Sport and Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committees access to any of the documents relevant to their inquiries into the exam results and in particular whether it will withhold access to any documents relating to advice or other communication from officials to Ministers, or to communications between the Scottish Qualifications Authority and officials.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Education, Culture and Sport and Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committees, in conducting their inquiries into the exam results issue and the Scottish Qualifications Authority, will be given access to Scottish Executive Cabinet minutes, memoranda and all other relevant cabinet documents.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-9735 on 22 September 2000.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of the recommendations made by the senior member of its IT Directorate following his meeting with the Scottish Qualifications Authority; when this meeting took place, and what steps the Executive took to ensure that all recommendations were accepted and implemented.

Mr Sam Galbraith: A senior official within the Scottish Executive Communications and Information Services Division met with the Scottish Qualifications Authority on 28 March. Details of the meeting and further action by the Executive have been provided to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish (a) the minute or other document of 10 May from the Scottish Qualifications Authority and (b) the subsequent Scottish Qualifications Authority paper to a committee meeting referred to in the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Copies of these documents have been submitted to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.

State Hospital Carstairs

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current nursing budget is for the State Hospital, Carstairs, and what the expenditure has been on nursing in each year since 1997.

Susan Deacon: The figures requested are as follows:

  


Actual
1997-98


Actual
1998-99


Actual
1999-2000


Budget
2000-01




7,415,635


8,090,992


8,590,525


8,835,984

Sustainable Development

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6203 by Sarah Boyack on 22 August 2000, what the cost is of the consultancy work on a trial set of indicators of sustainable development which it has commissioned; why it considers that such expenditure is justified; whether any further expenditure in this area is planned, and whether it intends to take any action to inform the public about issues surrounding the application of strategic environmental assessment.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is committed to integrating the principles of environmentally and socially sustainable development into all its policies. In pursuit of this commitment, we have let a consultancy to develop proposals for a set of sustainable development indicators covering waste, energy and travel, relevant to Scotland’s distinctive environment. The indicators will help focus on specific actions and on measuring their effectiveness. They may also be important in applying strategic environmental assessment, stemming from a proposed EC Directive, now in final form. The cost of the consultancy is about £27,000. No further spend on consultancies on sustainable development indicators is planned. If the Executive decides to proceed with the development of indicators, there will be costs associated with data collection and dissemination. It is too early to say now what those costs would be.

  The Scottish Executive also let this month a contract for about £20,000 for a scoping study to review the experience of strategic environmental assessment in other countries and consider how to apply it to Executive programmes. A key objective is to increase public participation in the process. We will consider carefully how to inform the public about the issues surrounding the application of strategic environmental assessment.

Telecommunications

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcomes were of the planning and telecommunications summit held at Victoria Quay on 4 September 2000 and what its current position is on this issue in the light of the summit.

Sarah Boyack: The Summit helped the Executive to gauge the views of a number of interested parties, including telecommunications operators and environmental bodies, on the issues surrounding telecommunications development in the wake of the reports of the Transport and the Environment Committee and the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones. It also provided an opportunity for the different interests groups represented to appreciate the differing perspectives of others.

  The Summit is informing the consultation package which I intend to issue in October.

Transport

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated timescale is for the construction of the Hansel Village footbridge over the A77.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-3896 on 4 February 2000 and I am pleased to add that the project is on programme.

Water Industry

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of bad debt in the water industry was for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Sarah Boyack: Information is only available for the four years during which the water authorities have been in existence. The figures represent the provision for bad debt as charged in the accounts.

  


£ million




1996-97


1997-98


1998-99


1999-2000




21.26


23.84


28.82


34.28